GENEVA, N.Y. – Matt Hockenberry (Temple) held the league’s top offensive team at bay for seven-plus innings as the Geneva Red Wings kept their playoff hopes alive with an 8-6 victory over the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at McDonough Park, Monday night.
Hockenberry struck out three, walked three and allowed five hits and three earned runs in seven and a third innings. The right-hander from Hanover, PA improved to 4-0 on the season.
Jesse Puschek gave the Wings a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI single scoring Ricky Moses II (Southern).
Geneva took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth.
Moses plated Dave Saluga (Youngstown St.) with a base hit. After Moses moved to second on an error in the outfield, Robbie Enslen (Oakland) delivered with a hit scoring Brad Blumer (Cameron) and Moses for a 4-1 lead.
Geneva added three insurance runs in the fifth.
Puschek led and reached when he was hit with a pitched ball. He later scored on a wild pitch. Grant Heyman (Miami) doubled and eventually came around on a sacrifice fly by Saluga. Blumer doubled home Paul Cotler (Penn), and Geneva lead 7-1.
Heyman doubled home Chris Ray (Alvernia) in the sixth to add to the lead.
Frank Salerno (St. Thomas Aquinas) doubled home a pair of runs for Syracuse in the seventh.
Alex Sanchez Jr. (Ave Maria) doubled home two more in the ninth. Riley Moonan (Fairleigh Dickinson) walked with the bases loaded to pull the Jr. Chiefs within two.
Zach Augustine (Johns Hopkins) came on and retired the only batter he faced for the save. Augustine induced a bases-loaded ground ball to end the game.
Syracuse has a league-leading team batting average of .332. The Jr. Chiefs have scored 371 runs this season. Olean is the next closest with 308.
Hockenberry has won his last two starts. He allowed just one run over seven full when the Red Wings defeated Utica, 5-1 last week.
Geneva (16-22) hosts Adirondack (22-16), Wednesday night.
The Jr. Chiefs (25-10) host a double-header with the Syracuse Salt Cats (16-22) tomorrow night at Alliance Bank Stadium.
Leave a Reply